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Promotional Opportunities in California

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Fresno Fire Chief Charged With Felonies

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, FIRE CHIEF ROB BROWN, was arrested Wednesday night at his home and charged with felony domestic violence and domestic threats.

Fresno sheriff deputies were called to the home by a family member who reported violent acts taking place within the household against more than one family member.  When the deputies arrived they found Brown in the front yard obviously intoxicated and belligerent.  He was uncooperative with the deputies at first, but they got him calmed down and were able to interview him inside the house.  He was then arrested, handcuffed and taken to the jail where he remained overnight until he posted bail Thursday morning.

Rob Brown

The Fresno Bee reports:

Sheriff's spokesman Chris Curtice said Brown knocked his wife, Fresno city emergency manager Beth Brown, to the floor and choked another family member.

Brown, 50, was pepper-sprayed more than once as family members tried to intervene in an assault on an unnamed family member, Curtice said. He said none of the family members requested treatment for injuries.

"He basically assaulted his wife and assaulted another family member," Curtice said. "He apparently struck his wife more than once, knocking her to the floor twice.

"The assault on the other family member, he was choked and threatened to kill him," Curtice said. Brown was booked into Fresno County Jail shortly before midnight on felony charges of corporal injury to a spouse and criminal threats.

The city released a statement saying Brown has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The statement said the city would have no other comment. When Brown was hired in April 2012, the city said his annual salary was set at $160,404.

Beth Brown was hired in October 2012 as the city's emergency manager after a national search. The couple has four sons.

Brown, whose full name is James Robert Brown Jr., is a 30-year veteran firefighter. Before coming to Fresno, he was the fire chief in Stafford County, Va., since 2005.

Brown has a combined 15 years as fire chief for other departments in the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Cincinnati and Denver. He also served as the president of the Colorado State Fire Chiefs and president of the Missouri Valley Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

KFSN-TV has more details in this video report:

 

The corporal injury charge carries a penalty of up to four years in prison and a fine of $6,000 or both. The criminal threat charge is punishable by a year behind bars.

The Browns have been married for more than 20 years and have 4 children.

Read the full story in the Fresno Bee HERE.

Fresno Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 13, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, labor, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Admin. Job Opening in Virginia

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Straight Day Work Schedule

The City of Lexington, Virginia, is currently accepting applications for a full-time Fire-Rescue Lieutenant. This position is in the Operations Division of the Lexington Fire Department. This is a day work weekday position Monday – Friday supervising all three shifts of full-time and part-time career personnel.

The job description is posted HERE (.pdf) and the application can be downloaded HERE. The salary range is from $40,770 to $49,674.

Applications must be returned to City of Lexington, Human Resource Office, 300 East Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450 by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2013. EOE

Full time positions with the City include a competitive fringe benefits package including 80% premium paid family health insurance (90% premium paid individual health insurance), employer paid participation in the VRS retirement and life insurance system, and paid vacation/sick leave. Optional participation in various insurance policies available, as well as deferred compensation and flexible spending accounts for childcare and medical expenses.

Lexington Fire Department WEBSITE.

Lexington is a lovely city at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains and is the home to two major universities.  Visit Lexington's virtual Visitor Center HERE.

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Posted by on May 31, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Recruiting • Tagged:

Volunteer Firefighters Go On Strike (?)

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Dispute Settled After 3 Days

THE CAGLE MOUNTAIN (Tennessee) VOLUNTEER Fire Department had a major disruption earlier this week that resulted in most of the members refusing to volunteer anymore.

WRCB-TV

It all began when the president of the VFD resigned his position stating that he could no longer work cooperatively with the Fire Chief James Hixson.  The department's Board of Directors didn't like that, so on Monday they dismissed the fire chief and brought the president back on the job.

The active firefighters didn't like that, so they walked off the "job" and refused to answer calls proclaiming their loyalty to the chief who was, according to them, just backing them in some other dispute.  The Board in turn changed the locks to the firehouse and ordered the strikers to turn in their gear.

It's hard to tell the players without a program, but WDSI-TV does a pretty good job of it in this video report:

 MyFOXChattanooga

Since that report came out on Thursday, the Board held another meeting and temporarily resolved the issue with the firefighters.  After all the hugs and "I'm sorry's" the FF's came back into the fold and the former fire chief is still the former fire chief, but the Board has promised to re-write the rules giving the membership a greater voice in the department's operations and selection of chief.

WRCB-TV wrapped it all up in this VIDEO REPORT.

Area-wide coverage continued with this report from WTVC-TV:

 

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Posted by on May 11, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged:

Firefighter Jailed Following Armed Robbery Attempt

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Career-Altering Decision Fails

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, FIREFIGHTER Joseph Caimi, 31, is in jail today following a botched armed robbery attempt in a convenience market.

City police said Joseph Caimi, 31, tried to rob a Uni-Mart store on Brownsville Road in Carrick on Wednesday night, but a clerk grabbed Caimi's gun and the firefighter hit his head on a store counter in the ensuing struggle.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells what happened:

(The clerk) behind the counter was Tom Sayenga, who took matters into his own hands.

Police said Mr. Sayenga told them that as he was handing money over to the gunman, he grabbed the man's gun with his free hand and "piledrived" his face into the counter. Mr. Sayenga chambered a round in the gun and pointed the gun at the man and ordered him to leave, according to Pittsburgh robbery squad Detective Michael Chlystek.

Mr. Sayenga said the robbery suspect threw the money in the air and ran out of the store, leaving behind the gun, a 9 mm Beretta.

Later Wednesday, police arrested Joseph J. Caimi Jr., 31, a city firefighter, and charged him in the attempted robbery.

Police determined the gun was registered to Mr. Caimi and went to his house, in the 2200 block of Lucina Street, where they saw a man matching his description sitting with another man next door. Police asked Mr. Caimi if he owned any guns, and he said he used to own three, but sold them all. Asked when he last saw his Beretta, he said: "Today. I already know what you're here for, but I'm not saying anything. I already know why you're here," Detective Chlystek wrote.

Read the entire article HERE.

KDKA-TV filed this video report:

 

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Posted by on April 12, 2013 • Filed under: crime, current events, labor, News • Tagged: , ,

Lexington Kentucky to End Brownouts in 2 Weeks

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Money is Found …. Rookies To Be Hired

THE LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, FIRE DEPARTMENT was informed last night that their 5 years of firehouse roulette will be ending on March 31.

The Urban County Council voted Thursday night to:

  • Provide $640,000 to pay for the overtime required to bring the FD up to full staffing through the end of the fiscal year on June 30;
  • Hire a class of 35 recruits to start May 6 and graduate in Mid-August;
  • Hire a second class of 30 recruits that will start in July and graduate in November;
  • Provide the necessary funds to pay for the overtime required for full staffing until all the recruits are into the field.

Herald-Leader

The Lexington Herald-Leader continues:

"Once we get those 65 people trained, we will have enough staff so we will have zero overtime and zero brownouts," Hoskins said.

Lexington now has 496 firefighters. In the future, an increase in the fire department's personnel budget will be necessary to maintain the department at its full, authorized strength of 557 firefighters, assistant fire chief Harold Hoskins, chief of operations said.

"I'm happy that the city's financial health has improved so we can take these measures to eliminate brownouts," he said.

WTVQ-TV was covering last night's council meeting for this video report:

 

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Posted by on March 22, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Firefighter Job Hiring Announced

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Lexington, Virginia, Opens Application Period

THE CITY OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, has announced that they are taking applications for full-time Firefighter/Medic.  The salary range is $34,528 – $41,043 plus benefits.

Full time positions with the City include a competitive fringe benefits package including 80% premium paid family health insurance (90% premium paid individual health insurance), employer paid participation in the VRS retirement and life insurance system, and paid vacation/sick leave. Optional participation in various insurance policies available, as well as deferred compensation and flexible spending accounts for childcare and medical expenses.

The full description of the job and requirements to apply are HERE (.pdf file).

Applications must be returned to City of Lexington, Human Resource Office, 300 East Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450 by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2013.

The 4-page application form can be downloaded HERE (.pdf).  You may contact the Human Resources office for additional information (540-462-3729), or e-mail: hr@lexingtonva.gov.

Lexington Fire Department WEBSITE.

Lexington is a lovely city at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains and is the home to two major universities.  Visit Lexington's virtual Visitor Center HERE.

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Posted by on March 15, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Recruiting • Tagged:

Reading Firefighters Want Chief Removed

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After Less Than a Year On The Job

READING, PENNSYLVANIA, FIREFIGHTERS IAFF Local 1803  has passed a vote of no confidence in their new fire chief and are requesting his removal.  Last night (Monday) the Local's president, Mike Shoumlisky appeared before an executive session of the city council and presented their case including several documents purportedly showing that Chief David Hollinger has publicly belittled supervisors and lied on application forms for Federal grants.

Chief Hollinger  (WFMZ image)

WFMZ-TV, in reporting on the meeting, writes:

Shoumlisky said his members took a no confidence vote last week and everyone agreed their current fire chief David Hollinger is unfit. "He could have been a great chief, if he would have just listened to them," said Shoumlisky.

The firefighters have several complaints that Shoumlisky laid out for council. "They promised to look into any allegations that I brought up," said Shoumlisky.

Everything from belittling deputy chiefs to their concerns about what the chief wrote on an application to get $4 million in grant money from FEMA.

Shoumlisky's example of Hollinger's belittling happened during the Hill Road fire. "Instead of questioning him or commending him for looking out for the safety of his men," said Shoumlisky, "He just merely called him 'Chicken Little' for pulling firefighters out of collapsing building."

Their major concern is the FEMA application which he photocopied and gave to council. They've been given copies of the SAFER application with the documentation and the highlighting of the areas that were lied about," said Shoumlisky, "There's some items in there where he stretched the truth and there are some items in there that are flat out lies. I don't want to be part of this and I don't want our members to be part of this type of fraudulence of lying to the federal government to receive federal grant money."

Chief Hollinger has been on the job for less than a year, making this action by the firefighters very unusual.

WFMZ-TV filed this video report on last night's activity at the city council meeting:

 

Local 1803  WEBSITE.

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Posted by on March 12, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

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Moving Out So That Others Can Move Up….

A TUCSON, ARIZONA, FIRE CAPTAIN Roger Tamietti has been demoted to Paramedic and is also facing possible criminal charges after being accused of "lewd behavior" and sexual assault.

Roger Tamietti

The complainant is a "floating" paramedic, Cody Jenkins who was assigned to Tamietti's station on November 9 and was, according to his complaint, subjected to physical and sexual assaults by Tamietti.  The Arizona Daily Star reports:

Jenkins had returned from a call about 10 a.m. Nov. 9 when Tamietti tackled him and knocked him over the back of a couch at the station, according to city records. Jenkins' face was pushed against the couch pillows and his legs were sticking up in the air. Tamietti then "straddled" Jenkins and "forcibly humped and ground" against him, the claim states.

Tamietti admitted to investigators he threw Jenkins on the couch, but denied committing a lewd act.

Tamietti said he was just "horseplaying" to make Jenkins feel more comfortable and treat him like he was one of the guys. Tamietti said he never intended to hurt or humiliate Jenkins.

Jenkins' complaint lists two other incidents that same date that are also described in the Arizona Star report.  He has since place a claim against the City of Tucson for damages to the tune of $500,000 for "sustained serious and ongoing psychological damages and injuries."

Following an investigation, the Fire Chief decided that Tamietti's behavior was "inappropriate" and demoted him in rank.

The AZ Daily Star continues:

The investigation revealed an "alpha male-type" atmosphere where lewd behavior, vulgar language and more were a part of the daily routine.

Some of what investigators found included:

• Homophobic and racial slurs used frequently by TFD employees.
• Tamietti once jumped out of the shower naked and surprised a firefighter. He called the firefighter a "meat-gazer" for looking at him.
• Tamietti exposed himself to another firefighter for no apparent reason.
• Tamietti and two other firefighters did a gyrating dance in their underwear two to three inches from a firefighter who was making a salad dressing for dinner.

Read the entire account of the sordid series of incidents in the Arizona Star HERE.

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Posted by on March 5, 2013 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: , ,

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"Moving Out So That Others Can Move Up …."

ON FEBRUARY 14 LAWRENCE PARK VFD's now-former Fire Chief Nicholas Fisher was charged with three counts of stalking and six counts of harrassment.  He then resigned his position as chief.

The Erie Times-News reported:

The acts Fisher is accused of committing while chief occurred between November and early February, according to court documents.

One woman, who left the department, told police that Fisher subjected her over several months to unwanted sexually explicit messages, including text messages inquiring about her sex life. Fisher acknowledged to police that he had been improperly communicating with the woman, but said he was "playing around," according to the criminal complaint.

The second woman, who was a member of the department, told police that Fisher sent her sexually explicit text messages, made repeated sexual comments to her and groped her buttocks inside the Lawrence Park Fire Hall, according to the complaint.

The third woman, a member of the department, told police that Fisher sent her sexually harassing text messages, asked that she send him "dirty" naked pictures, and repeatedly asked her to give him a lap dance. After she told Fisher to stop, Fisher groped her buttocks while they were conducting business inside the fire hall, according to the complaint.

N. Fisher

Yesterday (Thurs. Feb. 21) a preliminary hearing was held to determine if Fisher would be bound over for trial and all three woman were there to testify.  However, Fisher waived his hearing directly to trial on one consolidated count of stalking, a first-degree misdemeanor; and one consolidated count of harassment, a third-degree misdemeanor.

He was released on $10,000 bond.  The trial date has not yet been set.

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Posted by on February 22, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, labor, News • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – February 5

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Tuesday Morning – Geezer Appreciation Day in Vermont

The Governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin stopped by the Williston Fire Department yesterday (Monday) to give his best wishes to Fire Lieutenant Lynwood "Ozzie" Osborne and to honor him for his 60 (!) years of service to the FD on his last day on the job.

Lt. Osborne at a recent luncheon held in his honor  (WCAX-TV)

Lt. Osborne, now 80 yrs. old, came to work in 1953 when the area was entirely occupied by farmland and water shuttles were completed with milk cans.  "We didn't have tankers back then," he told New England Cable News.  Now the area is one of Vermont's major retailing centers and has all the attendant problems that come with it.  NECN tells us further:

Some of Osborne's main duties in his 28-hour-a-week part-time job with the department have been maintaining the big trucks and driving them to emergency calls. Perhaps true to his calling, Osborne told NECN that safety concerns inspired him to finally hang up his helmet.

"I just don't want to take a chance of getting somebody hurt, if I'm driving and something happens," Osborne said. "When you hit 80 years old, things can happen."

Chief Ken Morton of the Williston Fire Dept. told NECN he believes Osborne is the longest-serving, regular-duty member of a Vermont fire department.

While he won't respond to more scenes like that, the retiree has pledged to help out the department he loves in smaller ways. "Definitely I will be back here to hang out quite often," he said.

But do not expect this hard-working Vermonter to ever fully retire; he told NECN he's already looking for a new part-time job. "I just have to keep going," Osborne laughed.

During the latter part of his career Ozzie maintained the department's service records and safety tracking.  He plans on taking a few weeks vacation before heading back out into the job market.  Take a few moments to view NECN's video report:

 

Williston Fire Department WEBPAGE.

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Are you still counting the days until your retirement?  Fuggeddaboutit!  We have to get this equipment checked out first, so let's get started.  I wonder if the firehouse had a Bunn-O-Matic back in 1953?  I'll bet they do now.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

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Posted by on February 5, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, labor, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Fire Captain Takes Quick Retirement As The Law Swoops In

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He's In a Heap o' Trouble Anyway

CONTRA COSTA (California) FIRE DISTRICT CAPTAIN Jon Wilmot, 51, knew trouble was coming when he suddenly retired from the department with 27 years service on December 9.  The next day, Sheriff's deputies arrested him and charged him with suspicion of grand theft and burglary.

While he was being arrested and processed, other deputies were serving search warrants on Wilmot's three houses and six vehicles.  The searches turned up 268 items belived to have been stolen from the fire department, including uniforms, hand tools, emergency equipment and supplies such as toilet paper and pencils.  Moreso, the search also uncoverd a cache of 27 handguns, 11 rifles, 15 shotguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.  That discovery has brought in the ATF and FBI agents.

The Oakland Tribune adds:

The fire district began investigating Wilmot in May after a colleague took video of him leaving the Mt. Diablo Boulevard station in Lafayette with a chain saw, an iron skillet and sports drinks — all believed to be district property.

The case was handed over to the Lafayette Police Department in late September, when the district reported an elliptical machine and recumbent bike missing from the closed firehouse on Los Arabis Drive in Lafayette, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by this paper.

On multiple occasions, Wilmot was either filmed or seen by co-workers taking suspected fire district property while off-duty, the affidavit says.

KNTV filed this video report last Monday (recommended viewing):

 

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

KNTV reports on their website:

A judge has also granted a workplace violence restraining order against Wilmot, ordering him to stay 100 yards away from all 270 employees of the district, as well as district facilities.

The fire district wrote in a petition for a workplace violence restraining order, "[Wilmot] has made numerous indirect, passive aggressive actions toward members of the Fire District…the behavior accompanied by his large cache of illegal weapons creates a significant concern for all Fire District employees."

The petition also reveals erratic and threatening behavior. In one instance, the battalion chief says Wilmot wrote a co-worker’s name on a bullet and gave it to him, and that he stole another firefighter’s uniform in retaliation. Court documents show that uniform, "valued at $2000," was found in Wilmot’s garage "during a search by the Lafayette Police Department."

Court papers further reveal multiple police reports involving complaints against Wilmot from the general public. In one, police say Wilmot "made several threatening phone calls to a woman who had accidentally dialed his phone number and hung up." The report says Wilmot "researched her personal information via the Internet and continued to call her," and that he "made threats of decapitation and various forms of rape."

Another time police responded when Wilmot used a hammer to threaten a delivery driver over a parking spot, according the petition.

CLICK HERE to view the 13-page inventory of the items found during the search of Wilmot's properties (pdf.)

In 2011 Wilmot earned $102,000 salary plus an additional $101,000 in overtime pay.

The Oakland Tribune has this STORY.

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Posted by on January 30, 2013 • Filed under: crime, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, News, Videos • Tagged: ,

Firefighter Charged With 4-Year-Old Arson

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Career Goes Down in Flames

A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER IN BERKS County, Pennsylvania, is behind bars after admitting to setting a house afire in July 2008.  Kellen D. Klee, 23, had applied to be a career firefighter with the Fairfax County, Virginia, Fire and Rescue Department this past November and was facing a routine polygraph examination as part of the application process.  So came clean up front and stated on his application that he had set fire to the house next door to his home four years ago.

Klee pictured at a training class this past October
(Hamburg FD website photo)

The Allentown Morning Call picks up the story:

The comment that Klee allegedly made in Fairfax County was relayed Nov. 28, 2012, to state police at Reading, who had never determined what caused the 4 a.m. July 22, 2008, fire at 279 Schappell Road, the affidavit says. Trooper Michael J. Yeity investigated.

State police asked Klee to answer questions about the Fairfax County interview, and on Dec. 20, Klee provided a written statement confessing that he took fuel from his garage, splashed it on his neighbor's garage and ignited it with a cigarette lighter, the affidavit says.

Klee, who was an emergency medical technician and new Virginville firefighter in 2008, was the first to report the blaze to the 911 center and helped his fellow firefighters put it out, the affidavit says.

The fire destroyed the roof of the single-story house and the home's garage. Damage was estimated at $150,000. Unoccupied at the time of the fire, the house was owned by Bank of New York, with an address in Plano, Texas.

WPVI-TV has provided this video report:

 

Klee is currently free on $25,000 bond.  It is safe to presume that his application with Fairfax County was rejected.

The Pottstown Mercury has MORE.

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Posted by on January 20, 2013 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, investigations, labor • Tagged: ,

Firefighter Charged in Child Pornography Case

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 Home Computer Loaded With It

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, FIREFIGHTER DANIEL KING was arrested Thursday and charged with felony possession of child pornography.  King's arrest follows a search warrant service on his house Tuesday where Lincoln police found the porn on his personal PC along with an external hard drive that was filled with more of it.

The Lincoln Journal Star tells how the investigators' trail led to King:

King’s arrest came nearly two months after the investigator, Sgt. John Donahue, was checking out computers that were sharing child pornography, the affidavit says. Donahue identified an IP address and subpoenaed the Internet provider to get the street address tied to that account.

Investigators say a file was downloaded from the same IP address on Dec. 12 showing sexual acts between a man and a child, which led to Tuesday’s search warrant and King’s arrest.

Prosecutors charged King Thursday with possessing child pornography, a crime that carries a one- to 20-year prison sentence. He got out of jail later that day after Lancaster County Judge James Foster set his bail at 10 percent of $15,000.

King has been a Lincoln firefighter for 22 years.  He has been put on administrative leave and Fire and Rescue Chief John Huff says that, "You can rest assured we’ll take appropriate action as quickly as we can. We want to make sure the public’s trust and confidence continues. We’ll be very diligent and direct in how we react to this."

King is due back in court on February 7 and the city's internal investigation is expected to be completed by then.

KLKN-TV filed this video report:

 News, Weather and Sports for Lincoln, NE; KLKNTV.com

The Lincoln Journal Star has the STORY.

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Posted by on January 18, 2013 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Demoted Deputy Chief Wins Big Settlement

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Busted to Captain Because She Was "Detrimental to the Chemistry of the Team"

CAPTAIN JEAN KIDD OF THE MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Fire Department was one of the first group of five females hired by the MFD in 1986.  She later became the first female fire captain and in 2007 was promoted to Deputy Chief.  But in 2009, then-Fire Chief Alex Jackson demoted her to Captain allegedly for criticizing him in a confidential employee survey relating to the administration of the department. 

Kidd responded by filing a federal lawsuit for an improper action.  Yesterday (Thursday) a jury in St. Paul awarded her $420,000 damages which included $90,000 in lost wages from the demotion, $30,000 for emotional distress, and $300,000 in punitive damages against the city.

Captain Kidd

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune relates:

According to John Klassen, one of her three attorneys, she responded to a computerized survey in 2009, conducted by the city to evaluate Jackson's management performance. "She honestly answered that he had strengths and honestly criticized his weaknesses, which were lack of vision, lack of business knowledge, failure to plan," Klassen said.

Jackson received the survey results on June 19, 2009. "He reviewed them in the course of the next week and demoted her on June 30, claiming she was detrimental to the chemistry of his team," Klassen said.

He said that he and Kidd's other two lawyers, Andrew Muller and Thomas Conley, contended that while the responses to the computer survey were submitted anonymously, she had a distinctive writing style that Jackson was able to detect.

Klassen said the city tried to argue that Kidd's personality had caused problems in his management team, but he said that on June 18, Jackson had signed off on a glowing job review of Kidd, citing her for her interpersonal skills and ability to get along with co-workers. "So we argued, what happened during the 12 days after that review to get the chief to do a 180 on his assessment?" Klassen said.

Segal said Thursday Jackson decided to remove Kidd as deputy chief "in the best interest of the fire department … and was not related to any comments she had made about him."

The IAFF Local was solidly behind her and the local president said that he was certain that Kidd would win her case, and he is disappointed that Jackson isn't still around so that he could have been punished for his action.  The Star-Trib continues:

The verdict represents one of the largest judgments against the city fire department, which has been wracked with turmoil over the past decade.

The city faced six lawsuits by five firefighters over the alleged misdeeds of former Fire Chief Bonnie Bleskachek. Several cases were settled out of court and one trial resulted in a $150,000 award in 2009, three years after Bleskachek was removed in a sex scandal. The legal bills and payouts in those cases cost the city at least $668,500.

Jackson retired in February amid criticism by the City Council over his management of the department, including ballooning overtime and his handling of safety inspections.

See related Firegeezer reports on Jackson's missteps:

Read the full article in the Star-Tribune HERE.

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Posted by on December 21, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, News • Tagged: ,

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"Moving Out So That Others Can Move Up…"

A BENNINGTON, VERMONT, FIRE CAPTAIN was arraigned Monday in Superior Court and charged with repeated sexual assault on a 13-yr.-old girl.  The Rutland Herald is reporting:

Bryan Watson of the Bennington Rural Fire Department pleaded not guilty Monday in Bennington Superior Court.

Police allege the 25-year-old Watson participated in sexual activities with the girl more than 10 times in the summer of 2011. Watson told police the girl used to visit him at home, but he denied any inappropriate contact.

He’s been released and faces a hearing on Dec. 27.

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 THE NORTHFIELD VILLAGE, OHIO, COUNCIL voted to accept Mayor Jesse Nehez' decision to terminate Fire Chief Gary Vojtush on December 12.  The day before, the mayor gave Vojtush a letter requesting his resignation from the part-time post, but the chief responded by offering to step down while remaining on the FD.  The mayor then immediately fired him.

Gary Vojtush  (Times-Leader)

Vojtush had just served a one-day suspension for not following orders, but the termination was related to another problem.  Vojtush had recently been suspended for 13 shifts at his full-time job as a Parma firefighter and had not informed Northfield Village of his discipline in violation of his contract with the village.  The Times-Leader is reporting:

According to an Oct. 3 letter to Vojtush from Parma Public Safety Director Gregory Baeppler, Vojtush was determined guilty of violating departmental rules by signing, along with six other department members, a letter making an unfounded allegation that two firefighters cheated on an Emergency Medical Service test. Vojtush was suspended for 13 shifts, according to Baeppler's letter.

Nehez also alleged that in late September, Vojtush told a firefighter to perform repair work on an ambulance's air conditioner, "resulting in additional damage to the unit, more delays in getting the unit repaired, and further expense to the village." Nehez wrote that this was in violation of a written order earlier in the month that the village service department would determine how such repairs would be handled.

It gets complicated.  Read the entire ARTICLE HERE.

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Posted by on December 19, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, labor • Tagged: , , ,

Drug Squad Nabs Newark Firefighter

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Charged With Distributing

AN OFF-DUTY NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, FIREFIGHTER was arrested Monday and charged with drug possession and distribution, it was disclosed Friday.  The Newark Star-Ledger reports:

Detectives had been tipped off that Paul Andrade, 33, had been selling marijuana in the city’s Ironbound section and began an investigation, according to acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray.

Andrade, of Newark, was arrested Monday and found with a quantity of marijuana, said Murray. They then searched his 2010 Jaguar and his house in the Ironbound, where more marijuana was found.

Andrade has been on the Newark FD for about five years.

Full story in the Star-Ledger HERE.

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Posted by on December 15, 2012 • Filed under: crime, current events, labor, News • Tagged: , ,

Firefighter Furloughs in Wilkes-Barre

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Not So Jolly This Season

"I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" won't be the favorite song in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, this month.  On Thursday the city told 11 firefighters that on Saturday – two days hence – they would be furloughed for an indefinite period of time.  This will leave the 2-station FD with but 11 firefighters and 2 paramedics on each shift.

WNEP-TV reported:

The layoffs come just in time for the holidays, and what fire chief Jay Delaney said is the department’s busiest season.

"It’s our busiest time of the year for medical emergencies, extension cord fires, candle fires. People use innovative ways to heat their houses," said Chief Delaney.

The chief said despite the layoffs, both fire engines the department has will still be used everyday for every shift. He also said all shifts would remain fully staffed, with 11 firefighters and two paramedics.

Chief Delaney says that "service to the public
will not be affected."  (WNEP-TV)

Not reported was what their definition of "fully staffed" is.

WNEP-TV covers the furloughs and their impact in the video report:

 

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Posted by on December 2, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: ,

Promotional Opportunities

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"Moving Out So That Others Can Move Up…."

THE FORMER SPRINGHILL, LOUISIANA Fire Chief David Camp, 47, plead guilty Tuesday to charges of "unauthorized use of an acess device over $5,000" in an apparent plea deal.

The Monroe News Star reported:

He was immediately sentenced to three years of parish time; however, all but six months was suspended. After his release, Camp will be on active supervised probation for three years. He also must put in 150 hours of community service and submit to counseling.

Camp previously made restitution of more than $13,000.

Webster Parish sheriff’s investigators began an investigation earlier this year after several fire district board members caught discrepancies in the district’s finances. Among the questionable expenses were gasoline and personal items charged on two of the fire district’s credit cards. Other financial concerns were outlined in an annual audit.

KTBS-TV Ch. 3 Shreveport reported in this video that also includes an interview with the new fire chief:

 

KTBS-TV also reported:

According to the Webster Parish District Attorney’s Office, Camp has already made full restitution.

The former District 11 fire chief resigned from the department in February, after allegations surfaced of illegal spending practices – using public funds for private use and unauthorized purchases. Roughly two months later Camp was ousted by the Webster Parish Police Jury from the parish’s E-911 board.

Camp’s criminal woes come on the heels of the arrests of now-former fire officials in the neighboring town of Cotton Valley – James Dennis Meshell and Adam Hurley, whose cases are pending in Webster Parish District Court.

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Posted by on November 28, 2012 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Stings Nab Firefighters Here and There

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A BUSY WEEK FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIREFIGHTERS:

A JOHNSTON, RHODE ISLAND, FIREFIGHTER is missing some paychecks now after being caught in a police sting operation against drug traffickers.  David Lashus has been on tax-exempt injury leave for three years while nursing a sore back and perhaps fighting boredom from the inactivity.  Now his interest has probably picked up after being notified by the mayor that he is now on suspension without pay following his arrest. 

NBC10 News

WJAR-TV Ch. 10 Providence is reporting:

Lashus and his 21-year-old son were arrested last week. Police said the younger Lashus took delivery of a marijuana package from California. Investigators said they found about 100 pot plants, guns and thousands of dollars in cash in the family's house in Johnston.

Ch. 10 also posted this video report:

 

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TWO MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, FIREFIGHTERS have plead guilty and are awaiting sentencing for their parts in a conspiricy to extort scheme against a Beach nightclub owner.  Earlier this year seven Miami Beach city employees including the two FF's were nailed in an FBI sting operation set up to catch the perps.

The Miami Herald tells us:

A fired Miami Beach code enforcement supervisor who led the shakedown of a nightclub owner for thousands of dollars was sent to prison Tuesday for more than four years.

Jose Alberto was arrested along with six other Miami Beach employees earlier this year in an FBI sting operation that shook City Hall. Collectively, the ring extorted $25,000 from the Miami Beach nightclub owner, who tipped off authorities.

In August, Alberto pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit extortion. He admitted personally accepting 22 separate cash bribes totaling $16,600 from the Club Dolce owner and an FBI undercover agent.

Prosecutors accused Alberto and his colleagues of shaking down the owner of Club Dolce on Ocean Drive while demanding he pay for "protection" to avoid city fines and inspections.

The sensational sting featured the undercover FBI agent posing as the club manager who fooled them all as he partied with some of the municipal employees.

Miami Beach firefighters Chai Footman, 37, and Henry Bryant, 46, also were charged for their roles in the same alleged extortion scheme. Both have plead guilty.

Chai Footman (Miami New Times)

After accepting a few thousand dollars in bribes to help the South Beach club gloss over code violations and tax debts, Alberto introduced club management to Bryant, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dwyer.

Bryant conspired to expedite permits while finding police escorts for cocaine deals, Dwyer said.

A separate indictment charged Miami-Dade police Officer Daniel Mack, 48, with helping Bryant transport more than a dozen kilograms of fake cocaine for undercover agents in exchange for $25,000. Mack and Bryant were charged with conspiring to possess and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

It gets a lot more involved than that.  We recommend that you read the FULL STORY HERE.

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Posted by on November 21, 2012 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, News, Videos

Fire Chief Asks For Demotion – Gets It

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Stepping Out of the Hot Seat

CHILLICOTHE, OHIO, FIRE CHIEF BRUCE VAUGHAN has voluntarily stepped down as fire chief and has assumed the positon of Assistant Chief.  This caps a controversial record of continual problems and disciplinary actions that garnered nationwide attention among the fire-rescue community. 

Chief Vaughan

The Chillicothe Gazette is reporting today:

The change was effective Sunday and Assistant Chief Jeff Creed has been appointed once again as interim chief. Creed oversaw the department during the five months Vaughan was fighting his termination by Everson.

Everson had fired Vaughan in April after air bottles were found to be expired at the department and he failed to inform Everson of the issue until after being contacted by the Chillicothe Gazette. Old letters from previous administrations mentioning leadership concerns also were cited, along with the 2011 discovery that Station 1 had been operating for years without a working fire alarm and suppression system. In September, the Civil Service Commission rejected the termination and approved a 60-day suspension instead. The city and Everson did not pursue an appeal of the commission's 2-to-1 decision.

Vaughan has been fire chief for 16 years, but the past few have been rocky for him, to say the least.  Firegeezer reported on the "final straw" flub with the air bottles HERE.   Previously we covered the story about the missing fire alarm and sprinkler system in the firehouse HERE.  That one caused the state fire marshal to require the city to pay overtime wages to keep a firefighter on dedicated fire watch patrol for 24 hrs. a day until the system was restored.

On patrol for time-and-a-half  (Gazette photo)

During Chief Vaughan's tenure the fire department reduced services and manpower by shrinking back to one fire station covering the entire city for the first time since 1881 (Firegeezer report HERE).

What obstacles will face the city firefighters next will only be disclosed in time.

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Posted by on November 19, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: , ,

Now This is What You Call a Job Action

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Nationwide Protest Now In Sixth Month

THE TWO MAJOR LABOR UNIONS for the French firefighters have been engaged in a series of job actions since May of this year when some very unpopular new rules and procedures were instituted.  Basically they have reduced many FF's pay and interfered with promotional opportunities.  Firegeezer has posted a couple of reports on these types of activities in the past, all of them very innovative.

Ouest France

On Monday morning in Le Mans, a sizeable group of off-duty firefighters mounted a public protest by laying across the tracks of the city tramway.

This video from Ouest France, who were obviously tipped off ahead of time,  shows the protesters taking over the tracks:

 

 

 

 

After five minutes they relinquished their chaise very longue and let the trains roll again.

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Posted by on November 16, 2012 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: ,

A Most Unusual Work Detail for Firefighters

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"How Was Your Day at Work, Dear? …"

IMAGINE BEING A FIREFIGHTER IN BEIJING, showing up for work and getting assigned for the day to Tianamen Square where there's nary a shred of flammable material laying about anywhere.

Lasseter / McClatchy News

You may be wondering why this pair and several others are stationed around the square, and Max Fisher of the Washington Post tells us:

The government, it seems, really does not want any political disturbances during this week’s Party Congress, in which the country will change leadership. This means that Beijing officials are deploying, among other things, what has got to be one of the more unsettling measures against dissent: firefighter teams in Tiananmen Square.

Why, you ask, are there firefighters hanging out in Tiananmen Square? It’s a natural question, since they’re standing in the middle of a giant open square, with nothing flammable anywhere nearby. Except, that is, for the other people in the square, which may be exactly what they’re worried about. More specifically, the firefighters are likely there to put out any protesters who attempt to set themselves on fire.

Presumably, this week’s very public display of firefighters in Tiananmen – noticed by McClatchy’s Tom Lasseter, who posted the photo to his McClatchy China blog and kindly granted permission for me to reproduce it – is meant to deter potential self-immolators, or at least to put them out as quickly as possible.

I suppose drawing Square assignment has its advantages, such as no housework.

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Posted by on November 12, 2012 • Filed under: culture, Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: , ,

Promotional Opportunities in Ohio

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A Mess …. A Real Mess

WEST LICKING DISTRICT (Ohio) FIRE CHIEF DAVID FULMER's 3-year tenure came to an end Thursday night when he was fired effectively immediately.  Fulmer had been on paid leave since May 30 collecting $8,000 a month without going to work as the contentious fire district board and Fulmer swapped charges and the fire chief filing a lawsuit against the board for allegedly violating the state's open-meeting laws.

David Fulmer

Following the suspension in May, the board hired a private firm to conduct an investigation of Fulmer and they subsequently leveled three charges as reported by the Newark Advocate (HERE):

  1. The finding of misconduct in office and/or malfeasance for violating the district’s Internet and email policy pertained to Fulmer’s downloading of documents from a previous employer to his district computer. Some of the documents contained sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers.

  2. Misconduct in office/unwise use of public funds for his use of $1,047 in district funds to buy souvenir collectible coins and his support for initiating a 19-day work schedule that could have cost the district more than $300,000.

  3. Creating disharmony, mistrust and a lack of confidence among the firefighters, administrative staff — related to the purchase of the coins and a post on the social media site Facebook. During negotiations with the union that represents the district’s firefighters, Fulmer posted on Facebook, "There are days like today that are long and tiring where I've had to deal with irrational people that I wish I was legally allowed to beat the (expletive) out of 1 dumb (expletive) a week."

    "As chief of the fire district during union negotiations he put that out on the Internet where everybody can see it," (Trustee) Van Buren said.  [There's that Facebook thing again.....Ed.]

After voting on the three charges Thursday night, the first one was the only one to get enough votes to pass.  One of the board members, Mike Fox recused himself from the deliberations  because he is being investigated following a complaint by the girlfriend of the firefighters union president that he had acted "improperly."

ThisWeekCommunityNews has a good, in-depth review of the violations that he was charged with HERE.

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Posted by on November 10, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, labor • Tagged: ,

Promotional Opportunities

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Moving Out So That Others Can Move Up….

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PRINCETON, MASSACHUSETTS, FIRE CHEIF David Cobb, 45, was placed on administrative leave without pay Monday night effective immediately.  He had been on paid admin. leave since July after he was arrested on one count of larceny of a drug, and one count of obtaining drugs by fraud. 

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports today:

The state police conducted an audit of the narcotics being used by the Princeton Fire Department after being informed by pharmacists at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester and Heywood Hospital in Gardner that excessive amounts of narcotics were being dispensed by the fire department, according to a state police report.

The audit found varying amounts of fentanyl, morphine, Valium and Versed were unaccounted for. As the sole full-time employee and primary record keeper of narcotics for the Princeton Fire Department, Chief Cobb was in charge of replenishing the stock, the report said.

The audit showed several cases of the narcotics count being changed with no explanation, the report said.

Cobb was appointed to the job this past January and is the town's first full-time fire chief.  He is also the FD's only full-time employee.

Read the entire ARTICLE HERE.
WHDH-TV has MORE.

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LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS, CITY OFFICIALS have confirmed that there has been an unannounced change in leadership of their fire department.  Now-former fire chief Mark DeMaranville has been removed from the position and demoted to Health Inspector and Safety Officer.  Assistant Chief Mark Nietzke is temporarily filling in as acting chief.

The Leavenworth Times gives some background that is a hint of what is probably going on:

DeMaranville became chief of the Leavenworth Fire Department in June 2009. He returned to duty in early October after being injured during a Sept. 5 motorcycle accident northwest of the city.

When Leavenworth County sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene the night of the accident, they reportedly found DeMaranville's motorcycle off the roadway. He was transported to the hospital by a private vehicle, according to information released by the Sheriff's Office.

Capt. Andy Dedeke with the Sheriff's Office said DeMaranville reported another vehicle had been involved in the accident. A second vehicle was not at the scene when emergency responders arrived.

Dedeke later reported that an officer working on the case had been unable to substantiate or disprove that a second vehicle was involved. The results of a blood alcohol level test that was conducted as part of the accident investigation have not been released.

On October 11 WDAF-TV Kansas City filed this follow-up video report:

 

Firegeezer believes that Leavenworth FD is the only department in the country that has two health inspectors.

Read the entire ARTICLE HERE.

Posted by on November 6, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: ,

Promotional Opportunity in Idaho

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Where Did the Money Go?

SUSPENDED SUN VALLEY, IDAHO, FIRE CHIEF Jeff Carnes resigned recently after serving a paid suspension since this past December 11. On February 28 Firegeezer REPORTED HERE that Carnes, his wife who works for another city agency, and their son who is a call-firefighter were all suspended along with several other city employees following a state audit of the city's finances.

Former Chief Jeff Carnes
(Mountain Express photo)

Today the Idaho Mountain Express is reporting that Chief Carnes, his wife and son have all resigned from the city employ. The Mountain Express adds:

For the past two months, (Mayor DeWayne) Briscoe has been conducting "name-clearing" appeals hearings in response to the findings of a forensic audit commissioned by the city in April to investigate potential fraud in the city’s financial affairs during fiscal 2011.

The audit (which cost about $160,000), related legal fees (currently reaching $96,500) and money paid to the Carnes family and other city employees for paid administrative leave (more than $215,000) have so far cost the city nearly $500,000.

The audit was delivered to the City Council on Aug. 24, but has not been released to the public. It was subpoenaed by Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas on Aug. 28. The subpoena was issued pursuant to a grand jury investigation involving "former and or present employees of Sun Valley."

Briscoe has stated that state and federal laws prevent the city from releasing the audit publicly until everyone mentioned in it has the opportunity to appeal to him.

"All I can tell you is that the review process for the forensic audit and the name-clearing hearings are still ongoing," Briscoe said Thursday. "I can’t pinpoint a time [for its release]."

Carnes has been with the fire department for 38 years.

For more details read the full STORY HERE.

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Posted by on November 2, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, News • Tagged: , ,